No surprise, it was a Hobbit weekend with the title, accounting for over half of the overall box office and even setting a December record. It did not match the highest estimates of some box office prognosticators, but nevertheless a solid showing considering its expectations. The top 10 grossed over $122.6 million.

As expected, Middle Earth proved highly lucrative at the box office, even setting a December record. With 4,045 theaters, The Hobbit's gross outpaced the previous December record-holder, I Am Legend with $77.2 million. It also performed above the start of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King at $73.3 million. Still, the Lord of the Rings prequel did not match the lofty expectations of $100 million some had predicted. The feature accounted for over half of the b.o. over the weekend.

Rise of the Guardians placed second again and the title only fell about 29% maintaining momentum that should continue with its holiday theme. The pic will have to contend with a number of new releases headed to theaters between now and Christmas, so reaching the $100 million mark may still be tough.

After its big Golden Globe nomination haul, Steven Spielberg's pic on the 16th U.S. President held strong, only dropping under 19% as the title added 271 theaters. Among the Oscar contenders, it is the highest grossing, at nearly $107.9 million, ahead of Argo's $104.9 million.

The latest Bond hit number one last weekend in a generally slow box office, but displayed bravado nonetheless. The pic continued to show strength over the weekend, placing fourth in its sixth week with only a 35% drop despite losing 477 theaters from the previous week.

Ang Lee's 3-D spectacle held decently with a 35% drop as it lost 398 theaters over the previous weekend. Life of Pi again placed 5th in the box office rankings and it continues to be a tiger at the box office overseas where it has grossed an additional $128.5 million. Still it will have a tough time hitting $100 million domestically.

Opening in sixth place, the pic added three venues and dropped two slots to eighth. The pic will struggle to stay in the top 10 and will likely not stay in theaters in a significant way as new offerings open.

One month out, Red Dawn lost 504 theaters and dropped one spot to 9th place. The pic will struggle to pass $45 million domestically which marks a likely loss considering its $65 million production budget.

The Oscar hopeful broke the top 10 after flirting with it for a number of weeks. The feature is in comparatively far fewer theaters than its other top 10 brethren and its $5,617 per screen average is only outpaced by The Hobbit, which bowed this weekend. After dropping nearly 30% in each of the last couple weeks, the film only fell a very slight 4% this weekend, showing the title has some solid footing as it heads into the thick of the holidays and a wider expansion likely in the New Year.

Skyfall once again headed to the top spot in the box office over the weekend, grossing $11 million in a weekend that only had one weak showing from a major newcomer, Playing for Keeps. With little momentum behind it, the movie opened with only $6 million. Overall, the top 10 only took in $69.14 million, making it one of the lowest grossing weekends of 2012.

A weak showing from the only major newcomer Playing for Keeps allowed the latest and most successful Bond installment to move back into number one over the weekend. It is within reach of becoming Sony's highest-grossing film of the year, passing the studio's The Amazing Spider-Man which totaled $262 million. The title is on track to make a final come of $290 million or even $300 million, which would give it bragging rights of over $120 million to $130 million more than the previous 007 record from Quantum of Solace.

Last weekend's number 4 shot up to second this weekend with only a 21 percent drop. The pic has a Christmas connection which should give it momentum through the month, but its total at nearly $62 million may make a $100 million cume a challenge.

The film is now $1.4 million ahead of New Moon at the same point. It dropped two slots to number 3 after placing first for three weeks. The title lost 362 theaters from the previous weekend and its $2,523 average compared to $4,345 one week prior.

Lincoln lost only four theaters in its fifth weekend. It should pass Argo as the highest grossing film so far among the major Oscar hopefuls. It ranked third last weekend after grossing over $13.5 million. Its $4,526 average was the highest among the top ten titles.

Life of Pi again rounded out the top 5 over the weekend, grossing $8.3 million, down 32% from $12 million last weekend. The title added 928 theaters. Overseas, the film has grossed nearly $106 million.

The marketing effort ahead of its release was kept minimal and the result reflected that. This is star Gerard Butler's second recent bad showing after Chasing Mavericks which has only cumed $5.8 million to date.

The Brad Pitt starrer placed 7th in its debut and will likely move out of the top 10 after its second weekend. It remained in the same number of theaters as its bow, but dropped a steep 60%. The pic will likely disappear from theaters by Christmas.

Number one for three weeks, the final Twilight scored the top spot after a weak showing from newcomers. The feature dropped 62 locations from its second weekend and its $4,344 average was significantly lower than its $10,723 showing in week 2. Still, it is a bit better off than its previous installments and is within $1 million from matching New Moon.

The highest grossing Bond film continues to show strength one month into its U.S. run. The pic averaged a solid $4,909, compared to Twilight's $4,344 average in its third week, though it is in 545 fewer theaters. Globally, Skyfall has grossed over $869 million, a good return for its $200 million budget. A $300 million domestic run is not out of the question.

Steven Spielberg's big Oscar contender remained in the same number of theaters in its third weekend, though its per screen average was almost halved from the previous weekend's $12,724. Still, it had the highest PSA in the top 10 for the weekend. Its nearly $83.7 million gross is outpacing the filmmaker's 2011 movies The Adventures of Tintin ($77.6 million) and War Horse ($79.9 million).

The animated feature remained at the sixth position, though dropped 172 locations and had a fairly steep 57-plus percent drop from the week prior. Its $2,274 average compares to $5,085 last week and $5,131 the week before that. Still, it's had a good run and combined with foreign box office of $44 million, it topped the $200 million mark over the weekend.

The Cannes 2012 feature is one of Brad Pitt's worse performing openings ever, though not as bad as The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford which only made $3.9 million. The pic should fade from theaters soon.

The film had a relatively steep 54% decline in gross compared to its first weekend, though it added 57 more venues. Its $2,355 average compares to its $5,241 opening. It may struggle to match its $65 million production budget domestically.

Flight shed 35 theaters in its fifth week after adding locations over the past month. Still, the Denzel Washington-starrer has performed well at the box office with a domestic come over $81.5 million vs its $31 million production budget. It may be a reach to hit the $100 million mark.

Though not in the top ten, The Weinstein Company's Oscar hopeful Silver Linings Playbook has continued to gain traction after an opening that was a bit of a disappointment. It ranked 11th for the weekend, though it is in far fewer theaters than titles in the top ten and its $9,005 average was far better than any in the top ten. Word-of-mouth is clearly driving the title.

The 23rd James Bond film lived up to its lofty hopes at the box office, continuing its stellar run Stateside after scoring hundreds of millions overseas including the U.K. where it opened theatrically late last month. The third 007 feature starring Daniel Craig grossed $87.8 million plus $2.2 million from Thursday night IMAX screenings. Skyfall's total pushed the box office's top 10 to over $159.1 million. Wreck-It Ralph placed second after debuting atop the box office last weekend. Steven Spielberg's anticipated Lincoln, meanwhile opened in limited release at just 11 theaters with a stunning $81,800 per screen average. It should easily be in the upper echelon if not the top grossing film next week when it goes wide.more »

Fallout from Hurricane Sandy may have kept some crowds away from theaters over the weekend, but that did not stop Disney animated feature Wreck-It Ralph from packing a wallop at the box office. Box office in the top 12 headed northward to $124.6 million, 20 per cent higher than the previous week.

The Disney animation had a terrific bow, cashing in on great reviews and a solid marketing campaign. The feature also made $12 million internationally, making the title Disney's top animated pic The $49 million plus domestic total compares to $40.1 million for Chicken Little in 2005. The opening compares to Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, which brought in over $60 million when it opened in June. But Ralph helped bring up an overall box office which eclipsed the previous weekend.

2. Flight
Gross: $24,900,566
Screens: 1,884 (PSA: $13,217)
Week: 1

Flight cruised with strong results in its opening weekend, even edging out the weekend's number one box office winner, Wreck-It Ralph in terms of per screen average. The results were stronger than expected and shows Denzel Washington, who is tipped to be a force this Awards Season due to his performance, is an audience draw. This is Washington's fifth best debut.

The Ben Affleck-directed feature in which he also stars is continuing to show very solid momentum now one month into its theatrical life. Word-of-mouth is propelling the feature's box office prowess and it will likely hit the $100 million mark in the next few weeks.

The film dropped 356 theaters in its fifth weekend, though it actually managed to climb the chart one notch compared to the previous weekend. Its 23% drop is also a sign of momentum and it should top out at $145 million.

All four studio releases debuted with a whimper at best and tanked at worst. Ben Affleck's Argo topped the box office in a disappointing weekend. It is hard to estimate the impact on the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy had on Sunday on the East Coast as residents scurried to get ready for the storm, but the weekend's box office took a hit nevertheless. Strong word-of-mouth made Argo one of the lone stars of the weekend.

Argo finally made it to number one three weeks into its release. But it was mostly by default because its competition from newcomers failed to make the box office grade. Still, Argo showed bravado on its own, with only a small dip in its returns, despite losing 392 locations. Word of mouth is clearly propelling the Ben Affleck-directed political thriller that is a strong contender for awards this season. A $100 million gross is certainly not out of the question.

The animated feature jumped from fourth place last week to second in its fifth round. The $130 million-plus cumulative makes it one of Sony Pictures Animation's top animated-only pic. It will eventually overtake The Smurfs, which grossed $142.6 million.

Six slightly connected stories told over two hours and forty-four minutes was bound to be a marketing challenge. The pic received a C+ CinemaScore, so it's going to be a steep trek for this $100 million movie sees any profit. Its recognizable cast should help it as it heads overseas. While it's the best of the weekend's newcomers, it clearly didn't connect with audiences at the level needed.

The pic fell a heavy 70% from its opening weekend when it opened at number one with a $30.2 million open and an $8,851 screen average. The drop was steeper than Paranormal Activity 3's 66 percent drop. The third installment had grossed about $10 million more than the current pic by this point in its release.

A weak opening for the pic, which is off 60 percent from the first movie's $20.15 million debut. Competition from Paranormal Activity 4 and Sinister likely weighed in in suppressing box office activity for the title.

The title lost 494 theaters compared to its third weekend and essentially tied with newcomer Silent Hill: Revelation (3-D) in the overall box office chart. Taken 2 is holding solid, beating out the first installment by $22 million.

The title dropped 195 theaters in its third round and dropped a fairly strong 42 percent plus. But with a production budget of only $3 million, the title is a clear success and its roll-out will continue. Last weekend it averaged $3,552.

The pic dropped nearly 56%, a steep one for the titles second round. It added two locations and its $1,987 average compares to $4,489 in its debut. The crime thriller's $35 million production budget means it has a tough road given its slow momentum.

A decent weekend overall, Paranormal Activity 4 lead the pack, though its debut came in rather slow, compared to previous installments. Argo held strong in its second weekend, showing word-of-mouth is cementing its box office prowess, while Hotel Transylvania, Taken 2 and Alex Cross rounded out the top five at the weekend box office.more »

Taken 2 exploded in its opening with $50 million and a spectacular per screen average of $13,657 in wide release. The film had one of the biggest October openings ever, showing momentum that should propel it in the coming weeks. Last weekend's box office topper, Hotel Transylvania, held strong in its second weekend, landing second in the box office ranking. Frankenweenie, meanwhile, failed to appeal to large numbers of theater-goers, only placing fifth on the box office chart in a wide open.more »

After box office doldrums in late summer and the start of fall, Hollywood finally had a weekend it can celebrate. Hotel Transylvania and Looper debuted to great numbers, helping to end a five week slump. The top ten accounted for just over $104.4 million with the top two titles accounting for $64 million of that total. Another newcomer, Pitch Perfect also opened robustly, ranking sixth in the chart despite being in only 335 theaters. Won't Back Down, however, opened weak, providing a bit of a reality check.more »

Three new titles essentially scored the number one spot, but they topped a very anemic box office that did not have any titles score anything above $13 million. The top 10 added up to almost $73.5 million, a bit of an improvement over last week's $65.36 million, but still slow. End of Watch grossed $13 million, on par for director David Ayer's previous effort. House at the End of the Street also grossed $13 million, but in more theaters than Watch. And Clint Eastwood's latest Trouble with the Curve bowed with just over $12.7 million.more »

The overall box office weekend was nothing to brag about, with titles falling in the top 10 having the second worst weekend of the year. The overall top 10 only took in just over $65.36 million of which the top two titles, Resident Evil: Retribution (3-D) and Finding Nemo (3-D) accounted for $38.6 million, meaning the bottom 8 only accounted for about $26.76 million - ouch. Though not in the top ten, but with far fewer theaters compared to their studio brethren, the real story goes to The Master, which set a per-screen average record of over $145K in its roll out. And Arbitrage placed in the top 12 with a $10,506 average in just under 200 theaters.more »

Woe is the poor, lonely Henry Cavill actioner Cold Light of Day, which opened in wide release and climbed its way to the bottom (well okay, #13) with a paltry $1.8 million take. As in, TOTAL. Not screening a film and giving it virtually no promotion will do that, even with the future Superman holding a gun and Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver posing like the T-800 on the poster. But it was also a terrible movie-going weekend all-around, with the bleakest numbers in recent memory spreading across all comers. Hit it for the Debbie Downer of Weekend Receipts and let's all look to Finding Nemo and Milla Jovovich's leather pants next week for salvation.more »

Two newcomers, The Possession and Lawless topped the overall box office over Labor Day weekend, ending a summer that ended with not much of a bang. Overall, the Summer theatrical season fell nearly 3% from last year, winding up at $4.275 billion (vs $4.4 billion). The Expendables 2, which had topped the box office for two weekends, made a landing in the third spot with only slightly less screens. Today's grosses reflect a Friday through Monday Labor Day weekend numbers. The per cent change in revenue vs. the previous weekend only considers Friday - Sunday numbers.more »

The weekend box office was anything but stellar over the weekend. Expendables 2 and The Bourne Legacy remained the top two earners in the final weekend of August. One bright spot, however, was conservative doc 2016 Obama's America, which went wide after spending the first three weeks with limited runs. Its gross jumped over 400% and it landed in 8th place in the overall box office despite remaining in far fewer theaters than compared to other titles in the top 10. Newcomers Premium Rush and Hit and Run bowed softly.more »